A 7-year-old girl from New Orleans, Louisiana, was reportedly shot in the back Sunday night while riding in the backseat with her mother and sibling.
The girl was transported from the hospital where she died from her injuries, according to Fox 8. Police have not identified the victim, but members of the family have identified her as Dillan Burton.
Heartbreaking. Family members confirmed to @DavidJonesTV that 7-year-old Dillan Burton was shot and killed while riding in her mother’s car over the weekend.https://t.co/y3FQ7E6KT6
— FOX 8 New Orleans (@FOX8NOLA) December 27, 2021
Burton’s mother heard gunfire while driving. She then drove away to call the police, Fox 8 reported. Burton’s sibling and mother were not injured during the gunfire. (RELATED: Man Arrested After Allegedly Shooting 5 Children, 1 Adult To Death In Oklahoma)
“It’s very disheartening,” New Orleans Police Department Superintendent Shaun Ferguson said, according to Fox 8. “You can only imagine what that family is going through right now, on a holiday weekend, the day after Christmas.”
Police are looking for a “newer model white and silver Chevrolet pickup truck with a bed cover on the back” in connection with the shooting, according to a New Orleans Police Department press release.
“What could a 7-year old possibly have done to be a victim of such a heinous crime as this,” Ferguson said.
New Orleans saw over 200 homicides in 2021, Fox 8 reported. This is the first time the city has had over 200 homicides in a year since 2011.
The number of children shot and killed in 2020 increased by 50% from 2019 to almost 300 children. Police have yet to make any arrests in many of these cases.